Ian Davis: Rock Band is an outlet for NY-based composer/guitarist/songwriter Ian Davis. The music is part carefully constructed, part free; sections of intricate synthesizer and guitar counterpoint devolve into playful, noodly noise.

“I love everybody in this group so much and the music they make individually,” he explains, “everyone’s got a lot going on so when it can all come together it just feels like a very special treat for me.”

The group released their debut full-length album passing phase in 2020. For their forthcoming sophomore album Alternate/Opposite, the rock band adds Julian Cubillos – who has four albums out under his own name – on electric guitar. “We’ve got the double guitar now, so this one definitely feels a little more guitar heavy. Julian and I play a lot of either unison or interlocking parts, and a lot of quartet - I think half the record is just quartet songs,” which includes Jason Burger (Witchduck, Scree, Adeline Hotel) on drums and Dandy McDowell (b o t, Amen Dunes, Rubblebucket) on bass. The full band includes Michael Coleman (Michael Rocketship, tUnE-yArDs, chris cohen, Sam Evian) and Renata Zeiguer – with her second album out – on synths and keyboard instruments.

“Some themes are common between the two records; broadly speaking the confusion and perils of ‘modern life’ – but the vibe is pretty different. The first record is more synth-heavy and a little softer-sounding and this one is more guitar driven, brighter, with more short, fast songs,” says Davis. “I got really into the Nerves during the pandemic and the Dils and these punky bands from the early ‘80s and I definitely wanted to write songs in that vein. I also watch a lot of Star Trek and this record features some Star Trek songs – ‘Sub Rosa’ (TNG S7 E14) and ‘Cost of Living’ (TNG S5 E20) – which is a first for me.”

Other themes on this record include new love (‘Something New’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With You’), the peace and freedom of a good night’s sleep (‘In Sleep’), debt and the rising cost of living (‘Credit Line’ and ‘Cost of Living’), and how worrying about critique affects our ability to get meaningful things done (‘You Won’t Get Your Work Done’).

On November 22, Figure & Ground releases ID:RB’s second album Alternate/Opposite featuring 14 original songs by Ian Davis. Recorded in Red Hook during the 2021 Covid era, the album was produced alongside Raphael Peterson (Shape King) and mastered by John Dieterich (Deerhoof). An exclusive edition of 50 limited edition red tapes with download codes are available for pre-order at fgrecords.com. The tapes also include three hidden bonus tracks, only available on cassette.

Davis’s other projects include the bands Relatives and mushfoot, he also plays bass with Cassandra Jenkins, and has worked on orchestral arrangements for artists such as Feist, Cassandra Jenkins, Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), and Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead). Davis also composes concert music; he has written several pieces for the long-standing, Brooklyn-based chamber group the S.E.M. Ensemble and most recently was commissioned to write a one-act opera Ephemeral Pulse (2024) for the New Opera Days Ostrava festival in the Czech Republic, which premiered last June.

Produced by Ian Davis and Raphael Peterson
Co-Produced by Jason Burger, Michael Coleman,
Julian Cubillos, Dandy McDowell, Lily Wen, and
Renata Zeiguer

Jason Burger - drums & percussion
Michael Coleman - keyboards & synths (goatscape)
Julian Cubillos - guitar
Ian Davis - vocals, guitar, synths, piano
Dandy McDowell - bass
Renata Zeiguer - keyboards & synths (goatscape)

Adam Brisbin - pedal steel (5)
Erin McGrath - vocals (12)
Raphael Peterson - vocals (1), synths (12, 14), guitar (3)

All songs written by Ian Davis

Mixed by Raphael Peterson
Mastered by John Dieterich
Recorded by Raphael Peterson and Lily Wen at Future Sounds Studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn (Aug./Sept. 2021)

Additional tracking done at Figure 8 and Studio 44
Special thanks to Shahzad Ismaily and Zubin Hensler

Artwork by Erin McGrath and Ian Davis
Photo of Ian on the cover taken by Raphael Peterson

Released by Figure & Ground, November 2024